Third Times the Charm
by KKSG
Summary: Au. It took three meetings, over two years of longing for shining hair and blue eyes, and a chilly morning for you to begin the rest of your life.


**Not beta'ed. This has been sitting on my computer since last year, decided to finish it off and just put it out there. Enjoy.  
**

* * *

The first time the two of you meet, it's mid afternoon on a hot July day. You're taking a break and chugging down that cold water like it's air. She comes in because she's lost- she never does get better at directions-. She's tall, blonde, lean and beautiful. Her wide blue eyes captivate you and you feel like you're drowning.

You anxiously wipe the sweat off your face with a towel and offer to help her out. This gets you a wide breathtaking smile. You spend the rest of the afternoon helping her find her way home. When your brother asks you where you've been you tell him you made a new friend. He asks you her name and you stop and realize you never asked for it. All you know is that she has incredible blue eyes, shining blonde hair, cute little freckles on the bridge of her nose and a smile that lights up the world. She dances, goes to a different high school than you and is the most gorgeous, most genuine and the sweetest person to ever exist. So you tell your brother nothing, and just get into the back of his car to go home to a dinner of Chinese takeout.

* * *

The second time you see her, you're out on your daily morning 5km run. You're taking a different route today because of construction on the roads. You rather avoid the noise, the people and the annoyance all together. So you head through the park and you discover this is your new favourite morning route. Why? Because you see her sitting by the pond throwing pieces of bread at the ducklings with an adoring smile on her face.

You stop and stare, mostly in disbelief the other part in complete awe.

She's as beautiful as the first time if not more. And you realize that your body has completely cooled down and was now rested, that was how long you had stood and stared at her. You blush when she turns and meets your eyes. She just smiles and pats the wet grass next to her. She's wearing jean shorts and a cute red t-shirt with hello kitty on the front. You move slowly and sit down next to her. She hands you some bread and you both feed the ducks for the next twenty minutes in complete silence.

Before you know it, something soft brushed passed your cheek and then she was standing. You stare up at her with widened eyes, you can feel heat rushing to your just kissed cheek. She kissed you. You fumble to stand and she smiles at you shyly, you try to reciprocate and hope it's not as terrible looking as it feels. She takes your hand in hers and oh lord. Her hand is so soft and smooth unlike your rough ones from hours of training everyday since you were young. But she doesn't seem to notice or care. You walk hand in hand through the park still in complete silence. You walk her home and on her front porch she releases your hand. Your gut falls in disappointment but before you know it your pinkies are hooked together and she smiles at you again. That wonderful life-saving smile. Her lips part and before you know it she promises to see you again.

She turns and walks into her home, you stand there and stare in confusion.

You still don't know her name.

* * *

You don't see her again. You continue running through the park in hopes of seeing her feeding the ducklings that are no long ducklings. After three weeks you walk to her house remembering the pinky promise that still burns your hand at the thought.

The house is empty. She had moved. She was gone.

The disappointment and anguish fills you faster than any anger can. So you turn and run back to the gym and beat on the heavy bags with your bare hands until your knuckles are bruised and cut. Your brother says nothing and just takes you home.

You never even knew her name.

And for the next two years you dream of shining blonde hair, soft hands, smiling pink lips, so blue eyes and beauty with no name. You take co-ownership of the family gym, you teach self-defence classes to women on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings. On Sundays you spar with your brother and other members at the gym. In the day you take classes at a community college nearby. In the day you work, you live and you continue. At night you dream.

You think up of names for her, trying to pin the perfect name for that perfect girl you met over two years ago. Megan, Ashley, Heather, Annie the names run through your head as you lay in bed staring at the cracked ceiling of your apartment. Your brother tells you to move on, you pretend to just to get him off your back. You try to go on dates and meet other women. They don't work out, and you just find yourself thinking back to her.

By now your morning routine has been cemented, a brisk run through the park passed the lake then uphill towards that house that has been bought and sold more than five times now since she left. Around the block and to the gym or your place depending on how late you woke up. You know it's strange of you, you don't know her name and you've spoken to you twice in the matter of weeks. But she's burned into your mind and nothing about her can leave your memories. Nothing.

The first flames of anguish and confusion that appeared the day you discovered the empty house has settled to a low ember. Not all consuming anymore, but stubbornly still burning lowly in the bottom of her heart. She's learned to live with it. And after two years, four months, three weeks, four days and sixteen hours she's had to learn to live with it- but who's counting right?

The air is chilly and there's a blizzard warning, you hate winter in Lima mostly because of the fact you're super paranoid about slipping during your runs. So you usually end up just heading to the gym and using the treadmills there. But despite the forecast you wake up like there's cotton in your ears, you dress warmly and head out for a short run you reason. You want to feel the cold crisp air on your skin that morning, not to mention something is nagging at you. You haven't gone to the park in a couple weeks because of the weather. You know there will be no ducks there at this time of year but you head in that direction anyways. You reason, one quick look then back home to drive to the gym. Just one look.

You run there without a single slip, your legs stop and you stare at the frozen pond. Your breath is coming out in quick harsh exhales and you can't feel your entire face. The sky is grey and threatening to begin that blizzard the weatherman warned you of. But you just stand there and stare. The park is completely white, the trees are bare and there are only the occasional footprints from people walking dogs. Your eyes slide shut and you just breathe.

Shining hair, blue eyes and that smile.

The memory is enough to warm you a little. The moment is broken as your cellphone vibrates alerting you that you should head back to your apartment. With a reluctant sigh you turn on the heel of your foot ready to jog back the way you came. You're just over the threshold of your apartment when you realized you didn't feel disappointed for the first time heading to the park to find it absent of a certain blonde. And your gut twists at this revelation, perhaps you're finding moving on? It's a relief and a saddening thought.

You brush it aside and head out to your old second hand truck.

The doors to the elevator begin to close when you see a pale limb flailing through the air in the tiny space between the closing doors, instead of pressing the open door button on instinct you stick your leg in between the doors and hold it open.

A breathed out thanks has you freezing in your spot.

You look up and stand up straight as you meet shining blue eyes. Very familiar shining blue eyes.

It's her.

That nameless mysterious girl whom you've been thinking and dreaming of for the last two years, four months, three weeks, four days and now nineteen hours.

Her smile is just as bright as your memories have been telling you, her hair still shining, her eyes still very blue. And you find you can do nothing but make a choked grunting sound as the elevator doors close. She's still smiling at you and you're awkwardly gawking at her like an idiotic loser.

"Hello." she says, her voice exactly as your memories recall. Soft, warm and breathtaking.

"What's your name?" you ask abruptly. Her smile widens and it feels like the sun is shining on your face warming you to your very bones.

"Brittany." she answers.

Brittany.

A smile, a true genuine one free of confusion and anguish and over two years of longing. Your mystery girl's name is Brittany.

"Hello Brittany." you whisper her name reverently. It fits her so perfectly, why did you never think of it. "I'm Santana."

"Santana." Brittany repeats your name like it's just a test run. Her smile turns into a grin. "It's nice to see you again Santana." she says and you swoon as her hand touches the back of yours.

"Yeah." you say softly, you close your eyes and hesitantly interlock your fingers. Her shoulder brushes yours and your breath hitches. There was no warning of what happened next but a soft puff of warm air on your left cheek. You turn startled and peer into those deep gorgeous cerulean eyes. Her pink soft lips press against your chapped dry ones.

It feels like your entire body loses all strength and your legs shake. You tilt your head up though, unwilling to let the contact end chaste. It lasts until the elevator dings and stops. You open your eyes and laugh seeing Brittany press the button to close the doors. You can't help but laugh breathlessly. She pulls back and smiles at you, her hand reaches up and tucks a stray few strands of dark hair behind your ear. When her fingertips brush against your cheek you feel your entire face heat up.

"I'm home." Brittany murmurs as she leans in towards you again, her eyes half-lidded. You shut yours and lean up at the first slightest brush of your lips on hers you murmur back.

"Me too."

The third time you see her is the beginning your story with hers. A story where you don't count the number of times your meet her, or the hours since you last saw her, but the number of times you open your eyes in the morning and fall deeper in love seeing that shining hair, those blue eyes and that smile next to you in bed.


End file.
